Parent Handbook
Welcome Letter from ou r Director
Dear Parents,
We are delighted that you have chosen a British Co uncil Young Learner co and we would like to ext urse, end a very warm welco me to you. The British Council is a world leader in English Language teaching. Tea English forms part of ou ching r purpose as an organi sat ion to build engagement trust for the UK through and the exchange of knowle dge and ideas between worldwide. people We have been successf ully running English lan guage learning programm Malaysia for over 20 yea es in rs and are dedicated to making your child’s lea positive, enjoyable exp rni ng a erience. This handbook outlines our aims and gives you the opportunity to see we put our communica how tive approach into practi ce both inside and outside classroom. the We hope you and your
child enjoy your experi
ence with the British Co
Alison Sriparam Director, English Langua ge Services British Council, Malaysia
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uncil.
The British Council is the United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities . • We operate in 110 coun tries and territories around the world • We have 57 years experi ence of working in Malaysia • We have Teaching Centr es in Kuala Lumpur and Penang • We employ 60 internati onally quali ed teachers and teaching managers • We provide business co mmunications training to companies, organisation s and government bodies • We provide information on studying for UK quali cations, both in Malay sia and in the UK • We help Malaysians sit for the IELTS and other professional and academic exams • We administer around 20 Chevening Awards on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Of ce each year • We work closely with the Ministry of Education and other institutions involv ed in working with Malaysian teachers to tra in them in teaching principles from the UK
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Our Aims in Teaching English Our aim is for every child to: • communicate clearly and con dently in English • enjoy her/ his learning • develop their creativity and imagination • learn how to learn • reach their potential • develop a greater awareness of cultural diversity • develop critical thinking • develop the ability to cooperate with others
Our Approach Our approach is about the all round development of children, enhancing other skills in addition to language. We believe that language learning is most effective when: • learners interact in English and participate fully in lessons • learners practise language through stimulating and challenging activities • parents are involved in their child’s learning as according to Jim Knight, the UK’s Minister of State for Schools and Learners: “Parents have six times more impact on the learning of primary age children than teachers do”.
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“My child is having fun learning with new and interesting materials and teaching methods”. Ivy Choong, parent
Our Teachers
and diversity of • They represent the variety und the world English speaking nations aro many are trained in • They are highly quali ed and li cations specialist Young Learner qua cess for our teachers • Training is an on-going pro training sessions and workshops and in-house are held regularly.
es for professional “I have had many opportuniti ng Learners.” development in teaching You Co-ordinator and Peter Milne, Young Learner young learner teacher the best team “It is very well organised with quali ed teachers.” Thamiwani, parent “The teachers are excellent.” liday Mohd Zainul Hilmi, senior ho course student
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of
Our Levels
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When you enrol yo ur child in a new cla ss you can expect them to stay in this level fo r two years before movin g up. In class we like to
: • focus on what ou r students CAN do • encourage them step by step on th eir ladder to success • prepare students for real-life English usage
We also use: • portfolios as a m eans of continual assessment • the involvement of parents in the le arning and assessment pr ocess • report cards wh ich are given out at the end of each term
“The teachers use a lot of interesting activities.” Teoh Yee Er, seni or student (SF)
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Communication is the key
several ways: We communicate with parents in ts • Parents events and informal cha • Reports • Newsletters and Surveys ents of new • Information packs given to par students • Parent workshops • Learn English Family Day d’s teacher • Formal meetings with your chil er times once a year. Arrangements at oth of the year can be made. us at You can always send an email to y parents@britishcouncil.org.m
ce in “My child has gained vast con den lings in expressing her opinions and fee English. Thank you.” Aster Thien, parent ion; there “Emphasis is placed on participat are no lone wolf-types here.” Nasir, Nik Nur Fathiyah Bt Nik Mohd senior student (SPM)
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Your FAQs answered
misses a class? What happens if my child rature or eye If they are ill, have a tempe d your child to infection, please do not sen call us. If your child school. If possible, please l contact you. misses two lessons we wil urse book? Does my child need a co new course book Yes. Your child will need a year. These will be at the beginning of every tish Council on the available to buy at the Bri me early to avoid rst day of term. Please co ss. your child being late for cla
e? What materials do you us s as well as ok bo t We use up-to-date tex ROMs, DVDs, CD s, supplementary books, CD s are sometimes videos and games. Laptop dents to search used in class to enable stu ts they are doing. for information on projec r programmes with Interactive English compute o used. language activities are als policy? Do you have a discipline a Behaviour Policy. s Yes, the British Council ha idelines for students, We have our own set of gu are explained in parents and teachers which ty Lea et. You can the Roles and Responsibili n. nd copies at the receptio
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How many students are there in a class? We have a maximum of 20 students in all classes except the young Juniors: JC Beginners and JBs have only 14. When do we re-register for the next term? Letters for re-registration are given out in the second half of the term. If you would like to save yourself time, you can now register for a whole year! Ask at reception for details.
“My children say: I want to go to British Council!” Seow Lan Hoon, parent “The best thing is the interaction with students and teachers, it gives you the chance to interact with people from a wide range of backgrounds.” Gabriel Mak Wen Qian, senior student (SE)
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What goes on in our classes? • An emphasis on communicative activities • Active student involvement on all levels • A dynamic mixture of traditional and cutting-edge methodologies • Story telling • A focus on literature and English as it is really used • Project work
Resources used in our classes:
• A huge variety of materials and approaches
• Interactive whiteboards • Laptops • Phonetic pronunciation charts • Materials taken from the UK National Curriculum
“I like my British Council teacher; she uses fun and interesting ways to teach me.” Ian Chow Junn Leong, senior student (SE) “British Council widens general knowledge of the world through different and interesting methods.” Phyliss Lam, parent
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nd your
you a Extra resources for child
or ELLZ at ge Learning zone The English Langua and Reading Centre and the Info the Kuala Lumpur le for you centre are availab ng na Pe e th at ne Zo time. e outside of class and your child to us and are a the teaching centre in d te ca lo e ar e Thes . your child’s learning great place to aid signed rs with specially de There are compute are also ng English. There ni ar le r fo e ar ftw so loan. can be taken out on ich wh s ok bo n’s re child ads is likely own, a child who re As research has sh age learning. sful with their langu to be more succes ease ask our staff. For more details, pl
y day!” sh Council makes m iti Br e th to g in om “C or student (SPM) Renesia Chin, seni inions. ess my ideas and op “I feel free to expr n and friendly.” The teachers are fu or student (SPM) Ng Chien Yee, seni
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Safety
very cil we take safety At the British Coun seriously. British avour to make the Although we ende vironment secure learning en Council a safe and ings that all there are some th n, re ild ch ur yo r fo aware of. parents should be , but a is not just a school The British Council rs every ito hundreds of vis public building with place to is, it is not a secure day. Because of th ensure n unsupervised. To leave your childre to follow ildren, we ask you ch ur yo of ty fe sa the these procedures:
Before class star
ts:
d by a must be supervise Children under 14 to do this le . If you are unab parent or guardian re class fo off immediately be please drop them immediately af ter. and pick them up
While on our prem
ises:
ld only talk are that they shou Make your child aw g British or our staff wearin ow kn ey th le op to pe Council tags. the t use the toilets on Children should no e. The us ic bl ese are for pu ground oor as th e as we bl ita hing oor are su toilets on the teac emergency ection there. In an have security prot ound your child to the gr please accompany oor toilets.
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After class nishes:
Children in JC and JB classes need to be picke d up from the classroom. Your children will wait in the classroom with their teaching assistant until you arrive. Children under the age of 12 should not be allowed to leave the premises unaccompani ed by an adult or a guardian. Children should be picked up promptly after class, but in an emergency please phone 03 2723 7942 and we will make arrangem ents for your child to be looked af ter until you arrive.
“I would like to express my appreciation fo r the work and effort that you have put in to ensure the safety of our children. I am ver y touched to see you walk the extra mile to ensure these young people are safe” Mrs Jenny Tan “I’m happy with the methodology. It is informal; children can learn to speak Engli sh quickly.” Raja Tahir Sultan, parent “The work we do is different and exciting.” See Sion Song, senior holiday course student
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We challenge our students with; • active encouragement by tea che
• competitions and events
rs
• celebrations and talks • project work • a student-centred approach
“My wife and I are most happy with our son’s development. He is able to convey his thoughts in an articulate and con vincing manner.” Amreek Singh, parent “The work we do is unique. It ma kes us think hard and creatively.” A f Ilman B. Mohd Amin, senior student (SPM)
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Marking and Evaluation Three words sum up our approach: • Positive • Encouraging • Constructive Our student evaluation policy is based on our continual classroom assessment. Each of s ncie pete com lop deve to courses is designed rt repo our in seen in all four skills which can be . cards given out at the end of each term Teachers gather information about your y child’s learning and progress from a variet on, of sources including class work, observati ner r a e l , s w e i v r e t n i portfolios, teacher student res u d e c o r diaries and homework. To see our p rk on homework, please consult the Homewo ion. t p e c e r t a d n u o f e b n a Policy lea et which c s Teachers at the British Council try to focu k r o w s ’ d l i h c r u o on the positive aspects of y h g u o h t and on what they have done well. Al e it is important to correct errors that imped l l a t c e r r o c t o n o d s r e understanding, teach his is mistakes depending on the child’s level. T ocus f o t to maintain the child’s con dence and with on the language point that is being taught . k r that speci c piece of wo
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Getting everyone involved Getting involved in your child’s learning can have a positive impact on both their attitude and the speed at which they learn. When parents help their children outside the classroom, there are real bene ts for children’s achievement inside the classroom. To help parents with this, British Council educational experts have developed new LearnEnglish Family products and services. These include booklets, workshops and a website.
“Parent workshops are very informative and provide basic knowledge for parents to explore new ways and methods in learning and teaching English to children.” Nor Azman Ibrahim, parent The booklets are available at reception and workshops are run throughout the year.
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LearnEnglish Kids website The LearnEnglish Kids website was created for young learners and their par ents and is accessed by more than 80,000 visitors a month. See for yourself by loggin g on to www.britishcouncil.org/kids
“The website is probably the bes t learning website for children and their parents.� Eng Kah Lee, parent
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Check out these websites too: www.britishcouncil.org/parents This website provides you with information on how to help your child learn English. You can read and use a wide range of materials including games, advice, tips and downloads.
www.bbc.co.uk/learn This website provides lots of ideas and information on learning. It includes sections for parents and adults and gives them tips on making the most of your study.
www.learntolearn.org This website is designed to give study tips and advice to help children with their learning and education. Advice for parents to help their child is also included.
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KUALA LUMPUR
KOTA KINABALU
Ground Floor, West Block Wisma Selangor Dredging, 142C Jalan Ampang 50450 Kuala Lumpur
Ground Floor 4 Jalan Api-Api Off Jalan Gaya 88000 Kota Kinabalu Sabah
T: +60 (0)3 2723 7900 F: +60 (0)3 2713 6599 E: kualalumpur@britishcouncil.org.my
T: +60 (0)88 222 059 F: +60 (0)88 238 059 E: sabah@britishcouncil.org.my
PENANG
KUCHING
3 Weld Quay 10300 Penang
Sublot 63, Block A, Level 2 Taman Sri Sarawak Mall 93758 Kuching Sarawak
T: + 60 (0)4 263 0330 F: +60 (0)4 263 3262 E: penang@britishcouncil.org.my
T: +60 (0)82 256 044 F: +60 (0)82 425 199 E: sarawak@britishcouncil.org.my
www.britishcouncil.org.my The United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. A registered charity: 209131 (England and Wales) SC037733 (Scotland).